


prelude

by amuk



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Developing Relationship, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Light Romance, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28745136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amuk/pseuds/amuk
Summary: It was hard to look at Chrom’s face and not see his expression when he died: the sad smile as he told her it wasn’t her fault. His voice had been so raspy, so weak. Even in his final moments, he had been unfailingly kind. “The usual things, you know. Battles, death, all of those things.” Robin shrugged as she lied. “I can barely remember them when I wake up.”
Relationships: Chrom & My Unit | Reflet | Robin, Chrom/My Unit | Reflet | Robin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	prelude

**Author's Note:**

> For the Scores of Heroes zine, based on the prelude song! I should have more chrobin in my tag, I adore them. I think Robin would struggle a bit with that divide between actual memories and dreams.

Crackling red energy haunted the edges of Robin’s sight. Even now, in the middle of the day, she could feel the lightning at her fingertips. It made no sense. It had been a dream, only a dream; she shouldn’t have the lingering sensation of a spell. Shouldn’t smell electricity in the air, a charge that made the hairs on her arm stand up. No matter how terrible last night’s nightmare had been, it hadn’t been real.

It _couldn’t_ be real. She’d never kill Chrom. Robin clenched her fist tightly, almost drawing blood. There was no way she could do that. Her dreams must have just been her fears, that when they faced Plegia, she’d accidentally hurt Chrom. No other reason made sense.

“Something wrong?”

Startled, Robin resisted the urge to jump. She’d almost forgotten the person in question was next to her, joining her daily patrol of the camp. It wasn’t like her to get so engrossed in her fears. Tucking a stray lock behind her ear, Robin managed a weak smile. “N-nothing.”

“You sure?” Chrom cocked his head, concern colouring his voice. “You look really bad.”

Robin bit her cheek. That last sentence, she knew, was meant in kindness and nothing more. For a prince, Chrom didn’t think much before he spoke, a trait he shared with Lissa. Neither of them felt like royalty, not in the way Emmeryn did, and while Robin was missing most of her memories, she was certain that she wasn’t wrong about that. “No, I’m fine,” she replied tersely.

Chrom, being Chrom, didn’t pick up on her irritation. “If you say so. It’s a long march to Ferox. I know Frederick trained you, but it’s okay if you need a break.” He grinned, like he was sharing a secret. “Lissa’s taken at least five.”

Robin chuckled. It was hard to stay angry at him for long. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Rubbing her eyes, she admitted, “It’s just a lack of sleep.”

Chrom frowned and crossed his arms. “You shouldn’t skimp out on your sleep. It’s great that you help out, but you have to take care of yourself too.”

“I’m not staying up late, if that’s what you mean.” Robin shook her head. Stepping to the right, she directed their patrol to the very outskirts of their camp. It wouldn’t do for their army to think something was wrong with their tactician, after all. “It’s just nightmares. I keep waking up to them.”

“Oh.” Chrom knit his brow. “What’re they about?”

“They’re…” Robin hesitated, glancing at Chrom. There was no way to explain her dreams without it getting awkward. It wasn’t like he just died in her dreams. No, as much as she wanted to deny it, it had been a murder. She had killed him, the lightning crackling as it jumped from her hand to his chest. Even now she could feel his rapidly cooling body in her arms, hear his shallow breathing as he struggled to talk.

Even now, she had to resist the urge to touch him, to feel his warm skin and confirm that he was alive.

“They’re?” Chrom asked, prodding patiently.

It was hard to look at his face and not see his expression when he died: the sad smile as he told her it wasn’t her fault. His voice had been so raspy, so weak. Even in his final moments, he had been unfailingly kind. But that wasn’t here or now, and Robin forced herself to move past it. “The usual things, you know. Battles, death, all of those things.” She shrugged as she lied. “I can barely remember them when I wake up.”

Chrom lowered his eyes. “I’ve had nightmares like that too.” He looked at his hand and curled his fingers as though he was grasping for something. “They can feel pretty real.”

While it wasn’t what she meant, Robin went with it. “You too?”

He gave her a sympathetic smile. “Yeah, especially after my first battle. Even if you’re prepared for it, there’s a difference between theoretically facing an opponent and actually cutting them down.” Reaching out, Chrom squeezed her shoulder and she tried not to shiver from the contact. “I keep forgetting how new all of this must be to you. If you need anything, just ask; we’ve been through it before. We can help.”

Reaching up, Robin covered his hand with hers. It had a real, solid weight to it. A weight that was disturbingly familiar. Still, he was real and he was warm and she would take what she got. Nodding, she squeezed his hand once before letting go. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good.” Chrom smiled brightly at her before dropping his hand and suggesting, “Maybe Miriel has some sleeping potions that can help.”

“I’d be more surprised if she doesn’t.” Robin shivered, afraid. She’d had enough run-ins with the witch to consider her a mad scientist. It was a miracle that she hadn’t injured someone yet. “Though I get the feeling she’ll just experiment on me instead.”

“That’s…” Chrom winced, unable to refute her words. Weakly, he defended, “She’s not that bad.”

“I don’t know about that…” Robin chuckled uneasily, her heart still heavy. “Worth a try anyways. I’ll drop in after patrol.”

Even now, at the corner of her eyes, she could see crackly red energy, feel the burn as it escaped her fingertips. Despite the midday sun, it was impossible to shake away all the shadows. No matter how many times she told herself it was just a dream, some part of her knew otherwise.


End file.
